‘Good decision’: Air Chief Marshal stands by Operation Sindoor ceasefire as Opposition slams Modi govt

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has backed the decision to pause actions under Operation Sindoor, saying all objectives were achieved before the ceasefire was announced. His remarks come after sharp Opposition criticism over the Modi government’s move to halt the operation.

“People got down to their egos in the war… Once we achieved our objective, we should have looked for all windows of opportunity to stop… Some people very close to me said, ‘Aur maarna tha’. But can we continue to be at war?… The nation has taken a good decision,” Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, said on August 9, defending the decision to pause Operation Sindoor.

The three-day operation, conducted between May 7 and May 10, 2025, ended with an agreement between the Indian and Pakistani Directors General of Military Operations to halt all firing and military action on land, sea, and air from 17:00 IST on May 10.

Various Opposition leaders have slammed the Modi government’s decision to declare ceasefire during Operation Sindoor, which lasted for three days, from May 7 to May 10. Congress has stressed that India should have “finished the job” rather than agree to the cessation of fighting. 

The opposition has consistently slammed the government for coming under foreign pressure after US President Donald Trump claimed his intervention in declaring ceasefire in the matter. India has categorically clarified and ruled out the role of US President in declaring the ceasefire.  

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi got up abruptly in Parliament to ask “aapne roki kyun (why did you stop)?” when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke of how India agreed to a cessation of hostilities after Operation Sindoor in May. 

“The entire country, the Opposition too, was supporting PM Modi. Suddenly, on 10th May, we got to know that there had been a ceasefire. Why?” asked Gaurav Gogoi, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, after Rajnath’s speech. 

“We wanted to know from PM Modi that if Pakistan was ready to kneel down, then why did you stop, and to whom did you surrender? The US President has said this 26 times that he forced India and Pakistan to announce a ceasefire,” he added. 

Inflicted by heavy damage during the operation, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called the Indian DGMO and it was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 17:00 hours IST on May 10, 2025. 

Even after ceasefire, wave of UAVs and small drones intruded into Indian civilian and military areas. These drones were successfully intercepted.  

The Air Chief Marshal has, for the first time, officially confirmed that IAF S-400 air defence systems shot down five Pakistan Air Force fighter jets and one AEW&C/ELINT aircraft at long range during Operation Sindoor, in what he described as “the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill” the IAF can talk about.